Jan. 14, 2011

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COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team (9-7, 1-1 Big 12) returns to Mizzou Arena on Saturday, Jan. 15 to host the No. 5/7 Texas A&M Aggies (14-1, 2-0 Big 12) at 11 a.m. The contest will be televised live on FSN, with Brenda VanLangen calling the action and Debbie Antonelli providing analysis. The Aggies hold a 9-7 edge in the all-time series and have claimed wins in the last six meetings.

UP NEXT
Mizzou hits the road for consecutive games away from Mizzou Arena. First the Tigers travel to Manhattan, Kan., to face the Kansas State Wildcats at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1, a game that will be televised on Metro Sports in Kansas City. Missouri then heads to Boulder, Colo., for a 4 p.m. MT (5 p.m. CT) contest against the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, Jan. 22.

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
The Aggies enter Mizzou Arena ranked fifth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and seventh in the AP poll. The team is in the midst of a eight-game winning streak, including wins over Colorado (85-57) and Oklahoma State (82-57) in Big 12 play.

The Aggies averaged 83.1 ppg. and shoot 47.7 percent from the field.

Texas A&M's only loss came on the road at then-No. 5 Duke, 61-58.

Senior Danielle Adams leads the Aggies with 21.7 ppg. and 8.3 rpg., while shooting 54.9 percent from the floor and 76.2 percent from the foul line. She's joined in double figures by juniors Tyra White (14.4 ppg.) and Adaora Elonu (10.0 ppg.). Senior Sydney Colson dishes out a team high

Head Coach Gary Blair is in his eighth season at Texas A&M and has a 169-75 record with the team.

LAST TIME OUT
Texas Tech Lady Raiders outscored Missouri 37-18 in the second half to claim a 63-56 win Wednesday night in Lubbock, Texas.

The Tigers had a 38-26 lead at the half but neither team shot particularly well in the opening minutes of the second. The Lady Raiders cut Mizzou's lead to eight, 45-37, after Christine Hyde converted two free throws with 10:58 left in the game.

Texas Tech came roaring with an 8-0 to take its first lead of the contest, 51-50, after Kierra Mallard hit a layup with 3:14 on the clock. The Lady Raiders used free throws the rest of the way to claim the 63-56 game.

Mizzou shot just 19.2 percent (5-26) in the second half and committed 26 turnovers in the game.

Seniors Shakara Jones and Jasmyn Otote scored 12 points apiece to lead the Tigers. Junior Christine Flores grabbed a game high 10 boards.

OTOTE BACK IN BUSINESS
Senior Jasmyn Otote was in the midst of a 0-28 three-point field goal shooting slump when she sank a three as the shot clock expired with 5:09 remaining in the first half against Texas on Jan. 8.

Including the first one, Otote hit four of the eight threes she took for the remainder of the game (she missed two before making her first one). Three days later, the senior made 4-of-5 three-pointers against Texas Tech to score 12 points.

Over the past two games, Otote is shooting 53.3 percent from behind the arc (8-15), which ranks fourth among Big 12 players in conference play. Additionally, her 4.0 treys per game ranks first in Big 12 action.

TALE OF TWO HALVES
Against Texas Tech on Jan. 12 the Tigers built a 38-26 halftime advantage, thanks to 51.7 percent (15-29) shooting from the floor in the first 20 minutes. Four different players scored at least seven points in the first half, led by Shakara Jones' 10. Jasmyn Otote notched nine and BreAnna Brock and Sydney Crafton added seven.

It was a different story in the second half. Mizzou connected on just 19.2 percent (5-26) of its shots in the final frame as the Red Raiders came back to earn the victory.

BROWN EARNS BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior RaeShara Brown was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week on Jan. 10 after helping the Tigers to an 85-80 overtime upset win over No. 22/24 Texas on Jan. 8. The award, voted on by a media panel, marked the first league honor in the senior's career.

Brown scored a career high 27 points along with six rebounds, five assists and three steals in Missouri's 85-80 overtime victory over No. 22/24 Texas. The guard registered 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, four assists and three steals in the second half and extra period as the Tigers overcame a 12-point deficit with under three minutes left in regulation. She also played a career best 44 minutes during the contest.

Earlier in the week, Brown she scored a team high 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and handed out a game high seven assists in MU's game against No. 9 Xavier. For the week Brown averaged 21.0 ppg, 6.0 apg, 5.5 rpg and 2.5 spg.

Brown became the first Mizzou player to earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors since EeTisha Riddle won the award in consecutive weeks on Dec. 4 and Dec. 11, 2006. Redshirt-junior Bekah Mills was the last Tiger to claim a weekly award after earning Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors on Dec. 15, 2008.

TIGERS WITH SECOND TOP-25 WIN THIS YEAR
Mizzou's 85-80 overtime victory over No. 22 Texas on Jan. 8 was the team's second win over a ranked opponent this season. The Tigers also knocked off No. 12 Georgetown 54-45 in the Paradise Jam on Nov. 26.

The last time Missouri recorded at least two wins over ranked opponents was the 2000-01 season, when the squad picked up victories over No. 4 Georgia, No. 12/17 Texas, No. 17/21 Colorado and No. 24 Wisconsin.

The two wins against top-25 teams also ranks second among Big 12 schools to Baylor's five. Iowa State and Kansas State each have one win against a ranked opponent while Texas, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M are winless. Texas Tech and Kansas are the only schools who have not yet faced a top-25 team.

MIZZOU STAGES COMEBACK
Texas seemed fully in control on Jan. 8 as the Longhorns held a 72-60 advantage with two and a half minutes remaining in the game. But Mizzou staged a furious comeback in the final minutes as the Tigers scored the last 12 points of regulation to send the game into overtime.

Senior RaeShara Brown started the comeback with two free throws with 2:26 on the clock. Junior Christine Flores then scored eight straight points for the Tigers on a layup and two straight three-point plays, to get Mizzou within two, 72-70, with 58 seconds left. Senior Shakara Jones tied the score with 22 seconds remaining and Flores blocked two shots in the waning seconds to send the game into OT.

In the extra session, the Tigers hit 4-of-6 shots from the floor and four free throws to earn the 85-80 victory.

OTOTE THE KEY?
Senior Jasmyn Otote might be the key for Missouri to knock off top-25 teams. In each Mizzou's last three upsets over ranked squads, the guard has notched a career high in points.

Otote first set her then-personal best 12 points after sinking four three-pointers against No. 10 Baylor on Jan. 23, 2010. The Duncanville, Texas, native tied her then-career high against Georgetown on Nov. 26 as she hit three second half treys and three free throws to score 12 points.

In MU's 85-80 overtime win over No. 22 Texas on Jan. 8, Otote knocked in four three-pointers en route to a career best 14 points against the Longhorns.

SECOND HALF SHOOTING FUELS COMEBACK
Missouri trailed Texas 33-29 at the half on Jan. 8 despite the Tigers shooting just 26.3 percent from the floor (to Texas' 50.0 percent) in the first frame.

Mizzou turned aound its shooting in the second half as the team shot 57.7 percent from the field (to Texas' 39.0 percent) to propel the Tigers to come back and send the game to overtime.

In the last two minutes of the game, Missouri made 4-of-5 shots from the floor while Texas missed its final five shots.

The 57.7 percent Missouri shot in the second half stands as the second best single-half performance this season, behind the 69.2 percent the team shot in the first half against UAB on Dec. 29.

THREES STARTING TO DROP
Over the last six games, Missouri's three-point field goal shooting has improved tremendously. The Tigers have shot 35.0 percent (36-103) from behind the arc in games against UC Riverside, UAB, Florida State, Xavier, Texas and Texas Tech.

The team has posted 35.0 percent shooting or better in four of the last six games, while the squad has shot at least 30.8 percent in all six games.

Prior to those five games, Mizzou shot just 24.0 percent (41-171) from the three-point line over its first 10 games of the year.

BROWN AND FLORES LEAD THE WAY
Senior RaeShara Brown and junior Christine Flores combined for 51 points in Mizzou's overtime upset of Texas on Jan. 8.

Brown notched a career high 27 points, including 20 in the second half and overtime, to go along with six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Flores scored 24 points, including eight of Mizzou's final 12 of regulation to send the game to OT, and blocked four shots.

The two combined to shoot 17-33 (51.5 percent) from the floor, including 72.2 percent in the second half and overtime.

JONES REACHES POINTS MILESTONE
Senior Shakara Jones became the 28th player in MU history to reach 1,000 points when the forward accomplished the feat against UC Riverside on Dec. 21. She now stands at 1,064 career points after notching 12 against Texas Tech.

Jones is averaging 9.8 ppg. in 2010-11 after posting marks of 10.5 ppg. as a freshman, 10.3 ppg. as a sophomore and 9.1 ppg. as a junior.

BROWN INCHES CLOSER TO STEALS MARK
With four steals against Texas Tech on Jan. 12, senior RaeShara Brown now has 232 in her career to rank third all-time at Missouri. She needs just 16 to tie former Tiger great Joni Davis as MU's all-time steals leader and is 10 away from tying Kerensa Barr for second on the list.

Brown has led the Big 12 in steals the last two seasons, after outputs of 88 a year ago and 79 during her sophomore season. The totals rank third and eighth on Mizzou's single-season list.

BROWN NOW IN ASSISTS TOP-10
Senior RaeShara Brown's entered Mizzou career top-10 assists list after dishing out 12 against UAB on Dec. 29. After recording one on Jan. 12 against Texas Tech, she stands in ninth-place on the list with 273. She needs 15 more to tie Julie Helm for eighth on the list.

Brown is averaging 4.8 apg. on the season. If she continues on her current pace, she should end her career with about 345 assists, which would rank fourth in Tiger history.

FLORES BLOCKING UP THE LIST
Junior Christine Flores stands in 10th-place on MU's all-time blocks list with 98 after a one-block performance against Texas Tech on Jan. 12. She needs three to tie Jessra Johnson for ninth on the list.

Flores has 38 blocks so far this year to rank third in the Big 12 with 2.4 bpg. She has at least one block in all but two games.

Her 38 blocks are just one away for tying for 10th-place on MU's single-season list and three away from tying for ninth. Flores' total of 39 a year ago is tied with Christelle N'Garsanet (05-06), Renee Kelly (85-86) and Mary Brueggestrass (83-84) is tied for 10th on the list while Nikki Smith's mark of 40 in 93-94 ranks ninth.